A Spoilerless Review on Trese: A Very Filipino Supernatural Series

‘Trese’ is a comic book series created by Filipino writer-creator Budjette Tan and illustrator-creator Kajo Baldisimo. The story focuses on main protagonist Alexandra Trese, the Lakan of Humanity, who is tasked in maintaining the delicate balance of the supernatural and natural world. Joining her are two supernatural entities named Basilio and Crispin. Together, these three characters protect the streets of Metro Manila against the supernatural threats that lie in the shadows, hiding sometimes in plain sight among the masses of humanity. This is the first Filipino comic book adapted by Netflix much to the delight of fans who have supported this Filipino comic book from 2005 up till now.

Firstly, I have three words to get off my chest: Tang ina WOW. Those were my initial thoughts when I started viewing this series when it premiered on Netflix. Alexandra Trese projects herself as a mix of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and John Constantine rolled into one. In fact, there are elements of both characters in her own character portfolio. The series presents Filipino supernatural mythology similar to how Neil Gaiman presents them in his novel American Gods. These comparisons with character and story references should give you an idea on the treatment of ‘Trese’ as it now appears on screen. Or course, an important aspect of the story is that it takes place within the confines of Metro Manila, Philippines. ‘Trese’ shows us that there are really monsters in the dark mixed with the monsters of humanity. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

In order to properly appreciate ‘Trese’ you have to watch it using English dubs. This might sound like sacrilege to my Filipino compatriots, but, just like all series, it is best watched using the orignal language that was used for the show. In this case, English is the original language,not Filipino, and the dubbing fits better with the English dubs. Though, the English dubs do retain Filipino words and phrases particularly in spellcasting and words that do not have any direct translation in English. This in itself gives enough local feel to the series to enhance the already Filipino setting of the story.

‘Trese’ shows us the existence of monsters in its Filipino landscape, and these monsters aren’t necessarily inhuman. The human antagonists in the series are revealed to be monsters themselves, and sometimes even more monstrous than their inhuman counterparts. As such, Metro Manila is presented as a place of fear and mistrust with Alexandra, Basilio and Crispin ensuring that there is enough security to make the city at the very least liveable. Indeed, how can you rest easy knowing that there are monsters lurking in every corner, and that they are not necessarily inhuman?

Aside from showing the supernatural and superstitious believes of the Philippines, ‘Trese’ presents some real life problems faced by Philippine society. From the simple problems like train stoppages and drag racing, to bigger ones that involve poverty, police brutality and corrupt politicians. These societal issues ground the series to make it very relatable in spite of its supernatural flavor. These aspects of Philippine culture make the series very relatable particularly to Filipinos who expereince these issues on a regular basis.

Additionally, ‘Trese’ focuses on two important themes: destiny and family. With destiny, Alexandra Trese is forced to follow her destiny, but decides to create her own. ‘Trese’ also focuses on how family is more important than blood which translates to having a family that is not necessarily dependent on blood relations. Both thematic elements help create the climax that leads to season one’s conclusion. In the end, Alexandra shows us that you are allowed to map out your own destiny, and your family will always be there to guide you in your journey. These two thematic elements along with its grounded setting allows ‘Trese’ to resonate with its viewers who need not be necessarily Filipino.

All in all, ‘Trese’ is a seires that most assuredly will elevate Alexandra and the rest of her mythology into pop culture royalty in the Philippines. if we’re lucky, it might carry over to other parts of the world.

Tabi tabi po. ‘Trese’ is now streaming on Netflix.

Sandman Casting: Where is Doctor Destiny?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the Sandman series on Netflix is in production, and the fans are abuzz with the latest casting news that have been recently revealed. Below is what we know so far as to whcih actors will portray characters of Neil Gaiman’s seminal Vertigo series.

That’s a pretty good cast of characters with a few surprises. With the news of these actors portraying Sandman characters, a lot of people were asking where is Death? Death made her first appearance in issue 8 of Sandman entitled, ‘Sound of Her Wings’. A lot of people were looking for her considerint that the Corinthian was taking part in the series early even though the powerful nightmare made his first appearance much later than Death. It would only be natural to have her casted already, right? However, for me the MORE important question is ‘Where is John Dee?’

If you were to recall, Neil Gaiman himself revealed that they were currently filming the diner scene of the Sandman series. For fans familiar with this reference, this most undoubtedly involves ’24 Hours’, issue number six of the Sandman comic book where the diner scene takes place. In the comic book, the reason why that scene even takes place is because John Dee aka Doctor Destiny had Morpheus’s dreamstone. So you would’ve expected him to be one of the first characters to be casted, right? So where is he?

What follows next is pure speculation on my part. In the comic books, Sandman encountered characters the Justice League in issue 6, ‘Passengers’. Here he meets Mister Miracle and Martian Manhunter in order to locate John Dee who has Morpheus’s dreamstone. This was because Doctor Destiny was captured by the Justice League in the past and they had information on him in their data base. ‘Passengers’ is the issue that precedes ’24 Hours’, and it might just be that the Netflix series is distancing itself from DC comci book characters for whatever reason. Thus, no Mister Miracle, no Martian Manhunter, no Doctor Destiny. So, unless they later on announce a casting for John Dee, where does that leave the dreamstone?

Well, perhaps the focus of the first arc will deal heavily with Roderick Burgess who was cast. Maybe, aside from trapping Morpheus, he has the dreamstone. This would make perfect sense, and explain the absence of John Dee in the series. An epic battle for the dreamstone which leads to Morpheus’s triumph over Roderick Burgess would make for great storytelling.

For now, we can only wait and see how this continuing story of Sandman unfolds. I for one can’t wait for Sandman to finally come to life on Netflix. What do you think of my theory? Let me know in the comments.